I'm going to be writing more chapters soon!

Severus Snape trudged up the slippery wet steps leading to an old, abandoned warehouse. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a slip of paper with black numbers scribbled in the upper right corner. Underneath, in rushed handwriting it read:

"If this is really you, I wrote the address at the top. Be there at 7 am, but try not to be late as I won't be able to stay long."

Snape glanced around, and when he was sure no was was following him, he pulled open the heavy, iron door. Inside was a very large, empty room with a dangerous looking staricase leading up. There was nothing in the room except for broken lights hanging from the ceiling and discarded junk strewn in the corners. The building was cold and forboding, but Severus wasn't about to leave now. He grabbed the rusty rail on the stairs and quickly made his way to the top--it was almost 7.

Another large room greeted Severus, but this one was very different. There was a large fireplace at the wall opposite him, with a warm fire burning bright. Furniture and treasures from all over the world filled the room. Shelves exploded with books and souveniers, maps and globes, lamps and pictures. A large rug covered the hard wood floor, and in the middle was a sitting area with four huge, comfortably sagging couches. A short, slender woman stood at one of the various bookcases, inspecting an especially heavy looking book. She hadn't noticed Severus' arrival.

"Hello?" Snape cleared his throat and walked forward

The woman turned around quickly, startled. She peered curiously at Severus for a few moments, and finally said with great relief, "Severus! It's you, it's really you! I can't believe this!" She ran forward and flung her arms around Severus tightly, tears of joy running down her face.

"It's been 10 years, Jane. Ten long and lonely years, but it's okay now. We're together again," said Snape, holding her tightly.

"I don't understand, Severus, I just don't understand," Jane said, pulling away slowly. "Why'd you leave? WHY did you leave in the first place?" Snape heard the resentment in her voice, but he knew he wouldn't be able to tell her the truth. The truth would ruin everything.

"I tried to tell you but I was sworn to secrecy, I told you this already! I was here on government business and they forced me to leave on strictly private matters. They monitered all communications, so writing to you was impossible. But I got away, they let me go...so let's just put that all behind us, okay? Everything's going to be alright now, we won't have anything to worry about," Severus smiled at Jane, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm sorry I got angry...it's just..things could have been so different if we weren't seperated all those years. I mean, look at at where I'm living, Severus!" She turned around and motioned to the room they were standing in. "I can't live this way much longer! After I left John he closed down the business and took all the money. I've been waitressing all over just to earn enough for dinner each night. I'm just thankful I got to keep my old furniture, or else I would literally have nothing. I don't even have my daughter anymore. She refuses to speak to me--she says I'm a horrible person for leaving her father and everything's my fault. I just...I just..." Jane started sobbing and Severus gently held her in his arms.

"I'm just so glad you're back, Severus. You mean the world to me." She kissed him tenderly but pulled back quickly, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Oh no! What time is it?" Jane glanced at the large grandfather clock standing against the wall. It was 7:30 am.

"What is is, Jane?" Snape asked, confused.

"I have to go! I'm so sorry, but I completely forgot! They changed my hours at work today, and I start at 7:45 now. Oh great, they'll kill me if I'm late!" Jane said as she hurried around the room pulling on her jacket and scarf and slipping on her shoes. "Go ahead and make yourself at home--My shift ends at 3 so feel free to go out or watch TV or something while I'm gone...there's food in fridge...and Severus? Please don't leave...I don't think I'd be able to handle losing you again." She kissed him goodbye and just like that, she was running down the shakey stairs and hurrying out the door.

Still a bit confused, Snape looked around the room. He walked over to the TV and stared at it, not sure what it was or how it was supposed to work. The muggle world was so new to him, but he was taking private classes so Jane hopefully wouldn't notice his naivite. Jane had no idea about Snape and his profession...she had no idea he was a wizard and taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and knowing her matter-of-fact ways, she probably thought magic was absurd.

Severus sat down on a couch and grabbed a large, hard cover book sitting on the coffee table beside him. When he opened it, an old crumpled up envelope slipped out from between the pages. As he reached down to pick it up, something caught his eye. There was a shiny red seal on the envelope that looked all to familiar.

He held the envelope up close to his face and gasped in shock. It was the Hogwarts seal...this letter was from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He carefully unfolded the letter with trembling hands and his eyes scanned the page. When he finished reading, the letter dropped from Snape's hands in confused awe. His head spun with this newfound information... This could not be happening. Snape's heart pounded nervously as he anticipated what to do next, for

Jane, the long lost love of Snape's life, was Hermione Granger's mother!